The Portland daily press., 1887-10-26
SPACE BACKS DOWN.
The Internal Revenue Collectors
Records Examined at Last.
Special Liquor Constable Mitchelps
Visits to Portsmouth.

J. w. Mitchell of Belfast, special liquor
constable for Waldo county, made call on
internal Revenue Collector Page in Ports
mouth last July. This was but short time
after Mr.. Mitchell received his commission.
and he was in quest of ammunition with
which to carry on the war against the rum
sellers of Waldo county. But he didn't get
any. Collector Page CURLY informed him
that, law or no law, the records of his Office
would not be exhibited to anybody trying to
find out who paid special liquor taxes into
the nations strong box and received Uncle
Sans licenses in return. Mr.. Mitchell ac-
-cordingly left the collector without having
learned the mysteries of the records. Once
In Maine, however, the Waldo constable
adopted new line of action and called the
attention of Congressman Dingley to Col
lector Pages action. Mr.. Dingley promptly
took hold of the matter, and letter from
the Congressman found its way into the
Treasury Department.
In the meantime, Mr.. McFadden, Rev. Mr..
LeLacheur of Portland and Mr.. Luce of
Berwick paid visits to the lordly Mr. Page.
They did not get what they wanted, how
ever. and came away, as had Mr.. Mitchell
before them, without glance at the records.
Yesterday forenoon, however, Mr.. Mitchell
was in Portsmouth in company with Rev.
W. S. Mcintyre of Brunswick, and again
called at the Office Of the collector. The col
lector was not visible, but his clerk made no
objections to allowing the gentlemen to ex-
anime the records Of the Office. This they
did, and Mr.. Mitchell secured information
which may make the rumsellers of Waldo
county considerable unpleasantness.
MIR. Mitchell was in this city yesterday af-
ternoon and told of his experiences in the
office of the collector. He said that Mr..
Page has evidently dismounted from his high
steed, and presumably as a result of in
structions received from his superiors in
Washington. while we were looking at
the records said Mr.. Mitchell, "Mr. Page
went through the room, but he held his head
in the air and did not notice us. / found that in
Belfast there are 13licenses held, land inIBath
there are 20. There was goodly string in
Portland and Bangor, but / did not count
them" A paper which Mr. Mitchell drew
from beneath his coat when he gave the
number of licenses issued for Belfast and
Bath, containing list of the names of the
holders of the documents
1t will be remembered that it was for re-
fusing to show his memoranda that Deputy
Collector Thomas F. Murphy spent some
time in the Augusta Jail. When the first at
tempt was made to examine the records, af
ter the prohibitory law was amended by the
last Legislature, Collector Redman, of Ellis
worth, was the officer to whom application
was made. Permission to examine the rec
ords was not then awarded the investigators
and before further steps could be taken, the
internal revenue collection district of Maine
was consolidated with that Of New Hamp-
shire, and Collector Page assumed control of
the combined districts.
Mr.. Mitchell, who has now had the salts
faction of seeing the lists, is the young man
who, it will be remembered, shot man dur
ing the Belfast fire, in an assault provoked
by remark of Mitchelps. Mr.. Mitchell
said that he acted in self-defence, and the
grand jury found no bill.